6.1 - Norwegian Dos and Don'ts

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Norwegians are not considered to be very polite. We seldom use phrases such as “excuse me”, “your are welcome” or “sorry”. Oftentimes, you will only hear a surprised “oi” if someone bumps into you on the street. Don’t be offended by this. In Norway, we simply don’t use these phrases as commonly as many other cultures. This also goes for many other things. For instance, it is not common to introduce other people to each other in Norway. It can be a bit awkward, but you are generally expected to introduce yourself.

A common phrase in Norway is “the Norwegian arm”. It refers to stretching one’s arm to get something on the table. It is not considered to be impolite, even though you should not stretch too far.

Many things considered impolite or rude in other cultures, are normal in Norway. One of the reasons for this might be the lack of hierarchical thinking in Norway. We generally consider everyone to be equal and address people in such a way too. You should not use titles when addressing people in Norway. “Mr.” or “Mrs.” are not used often nor are professional titles such as “professor” or “doctor”. We use the first name for people, even when addressing teachers or professors. Be aware that Norwegians also tend to do this in English, so don’t be offended if a Norwegian don’t use your preferred title. Also, you should generally not use titles when addressing people, even though they are your boss.

Let’s go to some common questions in all countries: Do you haggle in Norway? And should you tip at cafes and restaurants? The answer to the prior is no, you generally don’t haggle in Norway. It is very uncommon, although you could try some places. However, be aware that you should be very polite when haggling and never overdo it or ask for too big discounts. It is very rude to haggle aggressively in Norway, so avoid this.